Decades ago, the government purchased a lot of land on the island from the villagers, so they could go buy farmland in less flood-prone areas -- or so our neighbors have told us. The government then built a dyke around the island and stopped the flooding. Our island would be kept green and lush and was dubbed the "lungs of Bangkok."
Now, several large swathes of government-owned land are being developed into a nature education center, with fruiting trees for humans and for birds! One area (not pictured here) has already been finished and has a lovely boardwalk through the jungle, with signs about our flora and fauna. Now another area, pictured above, is being turned into a park as well. Our house now has a park on either side of it, and if this park-building trend continues, we will be surrounded on the entire western and southwestern sides of our neighborhood by parks.
